Candidates for high office typically emphasize their career achievements, and that counts for a lot. But it’s almost always the character of candidates that separates a winner from a runner-up. There’s probably some extra-human logic to that, like the "genius" of a free market overtaking limited logic of individual judgment. We have something like that dynamic underway as we seek nominations for the Foundry Management & Technology Hall of Honor.

Every year, we seek nominations for the list of honorees who have been named since 1992. We know great achievements when we see them, but we want a consensus to identify great individuals. The Hall of Honor  was initiated to identify and show appreciation for people whose achievements and contributions to the metalcasting industry established standards for insight, innovation, leadership, and goodwill.  

The Hall of Honor includes men and women distinguished by the fullness of their service to the industry. Their technical and process innovations have advanced industrial capabilities. Their leadership has established and grown organizations that have rewarded innumerable colleagues. Their personal gestures and contributions have enriched many more.

Now is the time to submit your nominations to the Hall of Honor. Entries will be accepted until July 15, 2008.

How about some new insights from the R&D world?: Growing demand for hydrogen and oxygen is pushing the industrial and specialty gases industry toward an output of 8,958 billion ft3 by the 2010. This fact emerges from a new study of the industrial-gas market offered by Global Industry Analysts, which points out that high-tech industries are outpacing chemical and metal processing industries in demand for industrial gases. Health care and environmental remediation are two more applications that will compete with more standard applications.

•  From The Freedonia Group comes a study that declares global demand for specialty mining machinery and equipment (including spare parts and attachments) will rise 5.9% annually through 2011, to $33.6 billion.  The increase will be driven by continuing demand for commodities (iron ore, copper) and energy sources (coal). China and India will lead the demand for the mined products — as well as the mining equipment.

•  A report from UBS Global Investment Research contends that primary aluminum prices will rise to $4,400/metric ton this year, on the push from rising energy costs and availability to the world’s aluminum smelters. “Power challenges in key producer regions have the potential for meaningfully slowing capacity growth and could potentially result in a contraction in global output,” the researchers say.
 
•  Freedonia has another new study, examining the global market for industrial valves. They conclude that demand for industrial valves will increase 4.4% per year through 2011, to a total market value of $77.6 billion. This growth is expected because of a strong outlook for the global economy in general, which will lead to new infrastructure investments in major economies (U.S., China, Germany), and growing demand in the energy industries in mature markets (e.g. North America) as well as emerging ones (Latin America.)